TinkerActive Workbooks
TinkerActive Workbook series is designed for young learners ages 5-8. Three disciplines are covered within each grade level: English, Math, and Science. The workbooks are sturdy, with stiff, laminate covers. This will protect from spills that may occur. Thick quality paper, pages with round corners. A lot of thought is evident in the creation of this series. |
All workbooks follow a similar pattern: A concept is introduced with Let's Learn About which consists of basic information and a few interesting activities to practice the concept. Then the real fun begins with Let's Tinker, Let's Make, and Let's Engineer projects related to the concept. All activities require a collection of materials and simple tools, such as glue, markers, scissors, boxes, etc. Each consumable book includes stickers and a magnetic merit badge. These hands on, minds on projects are FUN. From the clever quirky minds at Odd Dot. | |
Calling All Minds: How to Think and Create Like an Inventor
by Temple Grandin with Betsy Lerner
Calling All Minds is an intriguing mix of inventor mini-biographies, images of registered inventions from the U.S. Patent office with step-by step project instructions. Grandin frames these elements within a running narrative describing her personal journey of discovery. She introduces readers to her thinking process, her experiments with various concepts, and schematic drawings of her creations. The book is organized into five general sections: "Things Made of Paper," "Levers and Pulleys," "Things Made of Wood," "Things That Fly", and "Optical Illusions." Each section includes a cornucopia of material that is loosely connected. Like the discovery process, they do not flow in a strict linear fashion, instead inviting moments of serendipity along the way. |
Explorer Academy by Trudi Trueit
National Geographic takes on a new publishing venture with Explorer Academy, a fiction series combining action-adventure with science, technology and world exploration. Twelve-year-old Cruz Coronado is a member of Explorer Academy, an international team of young people training to become the world's future scientists. Trueit has created stories with action, intrigue, and suspense galore. At one point in my reading I replied to a request from an individual near me, saying “I can’t come right now. Cruz is trapped underwater and can’t breathe.” |
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Crafty Cat series by Charise Harper
Comics, a charming cat, and crafts. What more could you ask for? Crafty Cat and the Crafty Camp Crisis is a story of expectations, making friends, and dealing with bullies is appropriate for younger readers. Back pages include directions for making each of the six monster crafts described in the text. |
Bonus: There's No Place Like Home
KidLitTV stories, crafts & activities Celebrated actors read children's books. | Create with Jarrett J. Krosoczka | Plan your day with this suggested daily schedule from NESCA (Neuropsychology & Education Services for Children & Adolescents. Accessed via Lorena Germán |